Sanctuary
by Guardian MusicWolf
Summary: In our lives we all search for an area where we will not be hurt, mocked, or shunned. In our lives we all search for a sanctuary. Naru/HIna; Cloud/Aerith
1. Prologue

Prologue:

Alright, so everyone in their lives feels as if their life just flat out sucks. They can never explain why things happen to them, rarely understand what is going on, and won't even realize the changes around them until it is way to late to do or learn anything from their journeys. However, whatever those people might experience may feel is nothing but a simple dream or a regular day for me. Now the tale I have to share with you is purely messed up and is beyond anything you could possibly imagine. Thankfully I wrote it all down or I would never have believed it to be true…


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

'Ugh Where am I' I thought with a shudder. 'Last thing I remember is…a…sword…darkness…pure evil' I reflected. It was about all I could think of at that moment.

"Here, let me help you," a gentle voice called out, "Let me help you please."

Well this is new, no shouting of kill the demon brat, no threats to my well being at first glance? This is really odd but for some reason I felt that if I were to listen to that voice that flowed like a gentle spring rain, all would be well.

"There you go" said that beautiful voice.

"Is there anything that I can get you?" she asked.

I didn't know if my voice would work or not so I just pointed at my throat to ask for a drink hoping that this lady would know what I meant. Thankfully she did understand and must have anticipated my needs, because within seconds I tasted the freshest and most pure water that I had ever tasted.

Once I felt that my voice would work I managed to get out "where am I." What happened to make me so pitiful?

That thought left as soon as I heard her response. It was something that gave me the first hint of true hope that I had had in…well I guess in my whole life.

All she said was "a sanctuary."

After she had uttered those two words that I had pretty much been searching for most of my life, I was able to see my rescuer.

She had the most beautiful, thick dark hair that had a hint of blue in it. Her smile was one that showed warmth and concern, but neither of those were anything compared to her eyes. They were white with a tinge of lavender and no pupils. Even though there were no pupils, I knew she wasn't blind and her eyes seemed to read me as if they had known me my whole life.

"My name is Hinata, Hinata Strife, what is your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki," was my reply. Yep, you guessed it, it is everyone's favorite knuckleheaded ninja who also happens to house one giant of a headache known as the Kyuubi no Kitsune, hence my shock at not being yelled at or scorned for no reason. Ok, now that I have gotten that out of my system let me get on with my tale.

"I know you said that this was a sanctuary but, where are we?"

"We are in the church that my mom helps care for in the sector 6 slums" was her reply.

Ok, now I am confused.

"How far is that from Konoha or Suna?" I asked cautiously.

"I've never heard of those places before, this is Midgar, the only major location for hundreds of miles," was her response.

My face must have shown every conflicting emotion that I was feeling at the time because she looked at me as if I had lost my mind when I said I know nothing about Midgar.

Hinata calmly looked at me as she said, "I believe that my mom and dad can help you with your situation."

With that Hinata gently helped me up and led me to where I assume her parents lived.

As we walked through this 'Sector 6', I quickly realized why it was called the slums. It was pretty much looking just like my apartment on any given day, just on a grander scale. As we walked I was suddenly hit with memories of Wave and what Gato had done to them before we arrived. At least here though people seemed to make a decent living amongst the crap.

We moved past all of the shops to the first area that had any hint of green since the church that Hinata found me at. I am going to venture a guess that this is her parent's house. Funny thing is that it seemed not quite as grand as those of Konoha yet still had a feeling of warmth and comfort that outshined anything I had seen before.

As we entered, Hinata called out "Mom, Dad, I'm home and I have a friend that needs help."

Why is it that whenever a female feels the need to yell or call out it is right next to my ear, Sakura and Ino were constantly at it back home, how I can even hear is a miracle.

Seconds after Hinata called out, two people walked down the stairs.

One was a man a little taller than I am with hair that seemed to be a combination of mine and Jaraiya's, only no ponytail. He wore a black sleeveless turtle neck and military style cargo pants with combat boots. He wasn't ripped but one look spoke of a warrior with plenty of experience.

The other was a beautiful woman with insanely long hair the color of honey. Within her hair was a pink bow a small white jewel. She wore a pink dress with a little brown jacket. She had a look of complete serenity and peace that would carry over to anyone near her.

"Who is this Hinata" the woman asked.

"Mom this is Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto, this is my mom Aerith and My dad Cloud Strife."

"Hinata, what happened and where did you find him?" Cloud asked.

Hinata replied with, "I found him in the church unconscious. When he came to, he had no clue as to where he was but was asking about some places called Konoha and Suna, claiming to know nothing about Midgar."

Aerith looked at me and said, "Would you mind if I look over you to make sure you are ok."

"How are you going to do that?" I inquired desperately pleading that they wouldn't find out about the Kyuubi.

"It is a technique I have that allows me to check for and heal all injuries," was her gentle reply.

I honestly saw no reason for her to exam and heal me because thanks to the giant fur ball that I affectionately refer to as fluffy, I heal automatically.

"That won't be necessary; because I have a special ability as well that heals any physical problem quickly." I told the kind lady.

"Well, if you insist okay, but you may have a concussion which could affect your healing," Aerith gently informed me.

I don't know how, nor do I bet that any man will ever know, but whenever a woman talks or acts a certain way, especially in this family, I have no choice but to listen. Apparently Cloud knew what I was thinking because his face said to go along with it. It also didn't hurt that I could not in good conscious reject one of the few acts of kindness in my life.

"Okay" was my reply before I experienced my second system shock of the day.


	3. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Aeris started saying something softly with her hands folded as if in a prayer.

If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn it was some jutsu that used no hand seals.

As she continued praying, for lack of a better term, I felt this peaceful wind and a warm green light come over me.

I tried talking to the Kyuubi about what was going on but all that I heard was it saying "_at last I am free…_" over and over again as if it was thankful for something. Now there is the shock of the century. The 'great demon lord', who was given anything he wanted, save for freedom from me, was thankful.

As Aeris finished her prayer, I realized something about my healing abilities.

It only put me back together not fully heal or relive the aches and strains that I put myself through. I felt more relaxed than ever before.

"Th-thank you, but why would you help me, a complete stranger?" I asked with confusion clearly evident on my face.

"We helped because 1) it was the right thing to do and 2) we could see that you have suffered greatly and needed some kindness." Cloud responded.

"Mom, maybe we should call your friends together to help Naruto find out what is going on."

"That is a great idea Hinata. Besides, it is about time for our reunion soon. Cloud, would you call Cid, Nanaki, and Barret while I call the others?" Aeris asked her husband who replied

"Already on it love". As he said this, he pulled out a strange device that I have never seen before. Of course it is only now that I realize that I will never have a normal day. Ever.

_AN: Sorry about the short chapter, should hopefully be longer next time._


	4. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

"Naruto."

"Not yet Ero-Sennin, give me a couple more minutes alright," I groggily replied while turning away from the voice.

"Um, Naruto, who is ero-sennin?" asked a soft voice.

As my eyes shot open I had many thoughts running through my head. 'Wait a second, my bedroll is old, ratty, and hard not soft and warm. There is a pretty girl in front of me in a nice room. My guess is that yesterday was not a dream. In the words of my good friend, troublesome.'

"Naruto, who is this ero-sennin?" Hinata asked.

"It is the nick-name I have for my perverted teacher who is a traveling sage as well. Before I wound up here, I was on a training journey."

"What are you training for?" She inquired gently.

"I am training to be the best shinobi possible. Hopefully, I will be good enough to be considered for the position of Hokage."

"What is the Hokage?' Are the important?"

"They are the leader of our village and are the most powerful shinobi in our ranks."

"Oh" was her reply. I am guessing that that was a pretty unusual statement judging by her reaction.

"Hinata, Naruto, can you come down? There are some people here to see you." Aeris called up to us. "There is also food on the table." Yay! This will be great!

As we walked down the stairs, I saw several people that were not there yesterday.

'Let see, Ero-Sennin said to always analyze people quickly to see if they pose a threat or not. Okay, on the left we have a brunette with a black short-skirt combo, black sleeveless top similar to Sakura's, and marks on her hands again similar to Sakura's and similar gloves (note to self, do not anger her); next to her is a red-head leaning on the brunette, obviously close, with a relaxed position, un-kept suit, metal rod with buttons and seems like it will extend.

Then on his left is a bald guy wearing sunglasses to hide where he is looking, piercings in his ears, suit similar to the red-heads except that his is clean and neat, and looks as if he has a lot of strength and is probably a former bodyguard.

Then we have a blonde haired male with short hair, goggles with cigarettes tucked in the side, blue shirt, brown pants and military style boots. The only odd thing about him was the spear next to him. Sitting next to him was a woman with brown hair, glasses and a lab coat. Both of them seem to be wearing similar rings.

Next to them is a big, bulky black guy with his hair in rows, fish net shirt, tan jacket, and a big metal right hand (okay that is unusual).

To his left is a big red animal which looks like a cross between a wolf, lion, and maybe something else, one eye scarred closed, feathers in his mane, a tattoo on his front left leg, and his tail is on fire (why can't I have a normal day).

Moving on, a black haired girl with her hair cut short, head band, black sleeveless shirt with white floral print, short shorts, and a wiry frame that spoke of high athleticism. She was leaning on a taller man with wild black hair held somewhat in place by a red bandana, black shirt and pants, tattered red cape and a gold metal hand/claw type thing (why me.)' All of this flashed through my head in an instant.

As we entered the room where the people and food were (Thank you Kami there is RAMEN!!!), Aeris began to introduce me to all of the people there.

"Naruto these people are our good friends. Starting on the left we have Tifa and Reno, Rude, Cid and Shera, Barrett, Nanaki, Yuffie and Vincent. Everyone, this is Naruto Uzumaki, the young man that Hinata found at the church." The responses were varied. The girls all waved and were cheerful and pleasant, where as the guys were casual with their responses. It was right then that I started noticing similarities between them and the rookie 12 as we called ourselves back in Konoha. Kami, I pray that none of them are like Sasuke. As we sat down to eat everyone started to introduce themselves and tried to get to know me.

"So Naruto, would you mind telling us about yourself a bit," Tifa asked politely. Yeah, she is definitely like Sakura on her better days.

"Well as ya'll already know my name is Naruto Uzumaki. I am 16 years old and I come from a town called Konoha. I love ramen, thanks by the way to whoever made this blessing for it is amazing, pranks and my friends. I dislike being judged before people know me and traitors who target their friends. I guess that my current hobbies are training, creating new techniques, and being with my friends," I said as was my usual response. Hey I know I say it a lot but it covers the basics. "What about you all?"

"Reno and I run a bar called the Seventh Heaven," Tifa started. Reno picked up with "She handles the drinks while my friend Rude and I handle the crowds with our awesome skills, right Bro?" The bald man simply replied with a nod. Something about those two reminded me way to much of Kiba and Shino. Spear-boy decided to go next.

"Name is Cid and I'm a pilot. Nothin' like taking to the skies and being one with the wind." As he was saying this he was also taking a lazy drag on his cigarette. With the apparent laid back attitude and the smoking, he seemed like a cross between Kakashi-sensei and Asuma-sensei.

"I am Shera, Cid's wife. I help Cid with his planes and try my best to keep him and the others in-line." Sounds a lot like Kurenai-sensei's attitude.

That Barrett fellow said that he drills for oil.

Yuffie declared that she was a master of stealth, retrieving miscellaneous items, and gathering information; all in all it sounded like the definition of a ninja. Vincent didn't say what he did or anything about himself, but there was something unnerving and familiar about his presence, almost like Gaara before the Chunin Exams all those years ago.

Nanaki, I think was his name, was staring at me intently like he was studying me, let's just say that it was slightly creepy.

"Is something wrong Nanaki?" Aeris asked.

"I sense something strange with our new guest. It is as if there is an extra being residing within him," Nanaki calmly stated.

'Oh crap, please don't let them find out about the Kyuubi' was my desperate plea.

"Now that you mention it, I did sense something off yesterday when I healed him," Aeris added.

'Damn. Now I have to lie quickly, and pray that if the truth is revealed, they won't hate me for it.'

"Well, I really don't know anything about that. A lot of people say there is something abnormal about me because of how much ramen I can put away and how quickly I heal, but other than that I'm like any other ninja!"

Vincent finally spoke in a gravely voice, "We understand if you do not wish to divulge all of your personal history with us at this moment due to your sudden immersion into our dimension, however you must understand that we will not judge you for anything unless you threaten those we hold dear." He said while subtly holding four fingers up and pointing at himself (I don't think anyone else saw or was meant to see) as if to say he knew about being a jailor.

This stay might just be interesting after all.

"Naruto," Aeris' voice calmly sounded easing the light tension, "I hope that you will come to see us as friends and I believe that we all agree to help you find your way home."

"Thank you so much."

"For now, you can stay with us in the spare room. We can see about getting you some new clothes and help you learn about life around here."

As soon as she said I would have the spare room, all the guys started glaring at me as if to say 'touch or harm Hinata and you will regret it in the most painful way'. All I could do was nod my head and smile and pray to make it through the night as Hinata suddenly glomped me shouting about how much fun we were going to have!

I suddenly started to feel different here than any other place I have visited before, as if more than the Church was my sanctuary.


End file.
